Back to the Basics of Parenting

I couldn't stop thinking about my dream, that there was more too it and I found myself thinking about it on and off for a few days until one day I understood.

I am always trying to find new insights and ideas into parenting, but I don't usually turn to the scriptures for advice. I realize now that I need to make use of the principles already taught by Jesus himself and stop looking for better, more modern, prettier ideas.

I meantto do all I can to be a good parent, but, now I am reminded to turn back to His instructions and pay more attention to His spirit as I has promised I would so long ago.

Now that I get it, I think I will be remembering this dream for a long time.

The Analogy of the Screws

I asked my son to do something. His quick response is the expected, "No!" At first I ignored his response. Then I wondered if I should ignore it. It's not really ok for him to tell me "no," is it? I could tell him again, as I have so many time before, that it's not ok for him to tell me no, but that would be fruitless and would be accompanied with a, "You hate me!" Another comment becoming all to common. But, I love him. And I am just so tired of fighting with him. What can I do... and I really wondered about it... and a scene comes into my head about two boards and some screws.

And, then, I wake up.

And I think about my dream until the alarm goes off.

I get up.

I go upstairs to wake up my son.

I kiss his his forehead. I kneel beside the bed and slide him down onto my lap for him morning prayer. (I do this with him almost every morning.)

He folds his arms. Bows his head, props it against the side of the bed. And I wait.

He goes back to sleep. (Ugh! Fighting already...)

I slide him off my lap onto the floor next to me saying my legs can't sit like that any longer and I kneel up higher.

He prays.

While on my knees we make his bed (whew, no fight).

I sit down on his bed and asked the dreaded question. "Do you want to start with your clothes or your toys?" meaning, tidy your room quickly. (I actually don't see any toys this morning.)

Whine... whine... whine... but, he begins picking up his clothes.

And I wonder about my dream. Should I share it with him? I sit down on the floor again and motion for him to come sit with me. He snuggles right up in my arms. And this is what I remember telling him:

"I had a dream last night about us. You told me, 'No!' but I really wanted you to know how much I love you and I wondered how I could make sure you knew. 

"And then in my dream I saw two boards that needed to be screwed together. It came with screws, but, I already had some screws.

"Mine were golden and I chose to use mine instead; but, after screwing the boards together I saw the top of my screws wouldn't fit inside the board right because the tops were square instead of round. I realized then that I should have used what had been given to me."



He thinks about it for a minute. Then gets up and I'm off to wake up his sister.

Later that morning, I ask him to start his piano practice.

"Ok, Mom!" he answers happily. (Now that was completely unexpected!) I could tell he felt loved though.

But, what does the dream mean? Anything?

Faces of the Son

A Time to Love

We got an email from my father-in-law to this link to an amazing prodigy artist & poet, Akiane.

I have been looking at her art gallery.

She's AMAZING! Her talent is truly a gift from our Heavenly Father. She's doesn't attend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, but her artwork and poetry says she understands gospels truths at a very intimate level. She says some of her paintings were reveled to her by God --- I have to agree with her.

She makes me want to be a better person, and live life with deeper purpose.

Here's a small tidbit --- a story she wrote to accompany one piece of her artwork.


Time


Once upon a time, in an island there lived six feelings and emotions: Happiness, Knowledge, Love, Sadness, Richness and Vanity. One day they discovered that the island began sinking! So all of them built boats and canoes and left, one by one. Except for Love. Love wanted to delay abandoning her beloved island as long as possible.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.
Richness was passing by Love in a boat. Love asked, "Richness, can you take me with you?"

Richness answered, "Sorry, Love, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat, so there is no place here for you. With both of us in here we will sink for sure."

Love next asked Vanity who was also sailing by, but Vanity offered the same answer.
"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by, so Love asked, "Sadness, take me along with you."
"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!", sadness said in a gloomy voice.

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so preoccupied with her happiness that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you."

It was an elder with a tattered head scarf. An overjoyed Love jumped into the boat. When they arrived at a dry land, the elder went her own way. 
Love looked around and saw the Knowledge who was the first to have landed there a while ago.

"Who Helped me?" Love asked.
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"Time? Why time?" Love was surprised. 

"Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is." The Knowledge smiled.